ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — "Fierce and funny," is how celebrated local author Lisa Moore once described Heidi Wicks’ work before adding a few more adjectives
"She is wildly smart, sensitive and daring."
Wicks, with her debut novel “Melt,” is joining Moore in that “celebrated author” category.
Published last June by Breakwater Books and named as one of the Globe and Mail’s top literary picks for last summer, "Melt" began as Wicks’ thesis during her studies for her master's degree in creative writing at Memorial University.
"I think as we age and grow, we become increasingly familiar with, and forgiving of, our younger selves [...]"
— All Lit Up (@alllitupcanada) October 1, 2020
This week in the #IndieReadingRoom, we chat w/ @WicksOnNetflix about her novel Melt (@BreakwaterBooks) & what she learned from her characters https://t.co/idyOqjoNbu pic.twitter.com/qaPTQUJRTQ
It follows the friendship of two women, Jess and Cait, through high school in the late 1990s and into their lives in their late 30s, navigating marriage and divorce, parenting and loss. It’s about making peace with the past, choosing which parts of yourself to keep and which to accept and let go.
"It was a bit weird getting a book published. I think many writers struggle with inferiority complex sometimes, and have to come to terms with, ‘Well, who cares about what I have to say and what gives me the right to write?,’ so the way I made peace with it is that if just a few people got some enjoyment out of it, then it was worth it,” Wicks tells The Telegram.
“I wrote about experiences I know are universal — trying to raise kids, grappling with relationship twists and turns and highs and lows, career instability, and just learning to roll with the fluidity and unpredictability of life and find healthy ways to cope and to overcome. I hope people find it relatable and real, and I hope readers feel something, and maybe get a laugh or two. I do like making people laugh."
"I think many writers struggle with inferiority complex sometimes, and have to come to terms with, ‘Well, who cares about what I have to say and what gives me the right to write?,’ so the way I made peace with it is that if just a few people got some enjoyment out of it, then it was worth it." — Heidi Wicks
A former freelance arts reporter and regular Telegram contributor, Wicks’ talent and skill garnered awards before her novel was published: among other accolades, she received the 2019 Cox and Palmer Creative Writing Award, a Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters Award, and a Landfall Trust writing residency in Brigus.
She’s been published in multiple anthologies and "Newfoundland Quarterly," for which she hosted a podcast.
Wicks has enjoyed hearing what people have had to say about her novel.
“It's always so nice to hear someone say they really enjoyed it, read it in a day, talk about whether they related to Cait or Jess more, say that they loved the nostalgia of it and that it reminded them of when they were growing up, and when they say they like being in the various settings in St. John's, both in the '90s and late 20-teens,” she said.
Wicks has begun work on a new project: a collection of short stories, all set in the same house over the span of about a hundred years, exploring some important themes.
“The collection will focus on the various inhabitants in the house over time, and will address society and politics, the class system and colonialism in St. John's over time,” she explained.
20 Questions
1. What is your full name?
Heidi Renee Wicks.
2. Where and when were you born?
1979 at the Grace Hospital in St. John's.
3. Where do you live today?
I live in lovely Georgestown, St. John's.
4.What’s your favourite place in the world?
If we're talking travel locations, I do have a special place in my heart for Costa Rica, for its nature and warmth and whole paradise-on-earth vibe, but I'll have to be a dork and say that Newfoundland is my favourite place on earth. It's rugged, it's handsome, it's gorgeous, it's saucy, it's hilarious, it's home.
5. Who do you follow on social media?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Effin' Birds are a couple of my Twitter faves, as many local craftspeople and restaurants as I can, plus Townie Memes and the Newfoundland Turnip and Celeste Barber, on Instagram, and I go to Facebook mostly just for events and what's known as "shameless self-promotion."
— Effin' Birds (@EffinBirds) January 29, 2021
6. What would people be surprised to learn about you?
That I was a voice major at Memorial University’s wonderful School of Music.
7. What’s been your favourite year and why?
2013, the year my daughter was born.
8. What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
Can I cheat and say two things? Have a child, and write a book.
9. Can you describe one experience that changed your life?
I was in a bad car accident in 2009. I was badly injured — shattered my pelvis, broke my hip. I was in the hospital for two weeks, and it took months to recover. It changed my personality a little: I became a more anxious person, but over the years, that forced me to also be a more mindful person, to be more in the moment and hyper-tuned into my immediate surroundings, more careful in all areas of life. It taught me a big lesson in mortality and how precious life is.
10. What’s your greatest indulgence?
Boring and stereotypical answer, but really good chocolate. My parents have friends in Germany who have sent home boatloads of it… and then I will go all Augustus Gloop on it. All of it.
11. What is your favourite movie or book?
My favourite adult movie is "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and my favourite kid movie is "The Goonies."
12. How do you like to relax?
Hours in the tub with a book, or a nice long hike followed by a carb-y meal (like International Flavours, goddess rest its soul).
13. What are you reading or watching right now?
I'm currently reading “Greenwood” by Michael Christie. It is a sprawling, multi-generational novel commenting on climate change, social media, environmentalism, capitalism, consumerism, the scars our loved ones give us and the strengths we can find from them. It's the kind of book where I don't want to do anything besides read it until it's done.
14. What is your greatest fear?
I think the worst thing that can happen in life is if something were to happen to your child.
15. How would you describe your personal fashion statement?
Definitely relaxed and casual, a bit bohemian, a bit vintage, and I am glad that velvet is back in style and regretful I didn't hang on to my 1996 wardrobe.
16. What is your most treasured possession?
I don't want to call my daughter a possession, so I'll say my first novel, “Melt,” is a prized possession that I both own and share with others. I put a lot of toil and pain and commitment into it, but I think it was worth it because I also had fun with it at times, people have told me they've felt all the feels while reading it, and I'm so proud to have achieved a lifelong goal.
Think I’ll call the next one Blow.
— Heidi Wicks (@WicksOnNetflix) October 11, 2020
Today I am #thanksgiving to everyone who has spent days over the summer Melt-ing, and for supporting #nlauthors #nlreads pic.twitter.com/eSbz6r8II8
17. For what physical or personality trait are you most grateful to a parent?
I've been called funny, and that I have a nice smile, for whom I thank Dad and Mom, respectively.
18. What three people would join you for your dream dinner party?
I only get three? Sarah Silverman (I'm loving her podcast lately), Helen Mirren, Margaret Atwood. I'm gonna be saucy and cheat and add others, including some dead people: Joan Didion, George Harrison, Jack Kerouac, Martin Luther King, Wes Anderson and Gillian Anderson.
19. What is your best quality, and what is your worst quality?
I'm patient and open-hearted, and I'm also sometimes impatient and protective.
20. What are you listening to right now?
The "Sunday Magazine" on CBC, and in the background, the kitten upstairs getting into something he's probably not supposed to be getting into.
This kitty isn’t cute at ALL. Welcome to the family, Meatball. pic.twitter.com/ftKipuLbpm
— Heidi Wicks (@WicksOnNetflix) December 27, 2020
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